William Onyeabor (1945-) - 1970s Nigerian Funk Musician, Rhythmic and Synthesized

[Tweaked]

William Onyeabor is a somewhat obscure 1970s-1980s Nigerian musician who self-produced and pressed his own records.  His music is probably best described as afro-funk-centric with heavy synths, tinged with a little disco/soul and drawn out jams...many songs stretch to the 8-10 minute mark.

After releasing 8 albums, he became a born-again Christian and apparently disavowed music.  He has been recently gaining recognition in the press, this week's New Yorker has a short piece on him in the listings section.

David Byrne's Luaka Bop has released a compilation cd of his music.  And Byrne is putting together a very brief four stop tour playing his music (NYC, LA, and San Fran)

William Onyeabor - Good Name

William Onyeabor - Something You'll Never Forget

[DonRocks]

William Onyeabor is a somewhat obscure 1970s-1980s Nigerian musician who self-produced and pressed his own records.  His music is probably best described as afro-funk-centric with heavy synths, tinged with a little disco/soul and drawn out jams...many songs stretch to the 8-10 minute mark

Onyeabor's biggest hit: "Better Change Your Mind":

Am I wrong to view this as more of a "cultural enlightenment" than a "musical experience?" I see very little here in terms of musical sophistication or talent, and I hate to say that, but I'd be lying if I said anything else - the song latches onto one note and examines it from every possible angle. I suspect this music was designed to be played inside of Nigeria, with little or no aspirations to be global, in which case it's perfectly understandable, and it's also technically impressive. I've also been wrong before on occasion, so please consider this a request for other opinions - I remain open-minded about William Onyeabor, and would love to learn more about him.